Joni Mitchell is opening her vault for the first time with the Joni Mitchell Archives, a new series of box sets to be released over the course of the next few years. Each one will be a deep dive into a different era of her career with a wealth of unreleased material, and naturally, the first one starts at the very beginning.

The series kicks off on 10/30 with the release of Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963 To 1967), a deluxe 5-CD set featuring nearly six hours of unreleased home, live, and radio recordings leading up to her 1968 debut album, including 29 original Mitchell compositions that have never been released with her vocals.

“The early stuff, I shouldn’t be such a snob against it,” Mitchell reflects in a press release. “A lot of these songs, I just lost them. They fell away. They only exist in these recordings. For so long I rebelled against the term, ‘I was never a folk-singer.’ I would get pissed off if they put that label on me. I didn’t think it was a good description of what I was. And then I listened and … it was beautiful. It made me forgive my beginnings. And I had this realization … I was a folk singer!”

Along with the announcement of the Joni Mitchell Archives, Mitchell has launched a new official website and social media pages including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. And today, she’s sharing the first track from the box set and the earliest known recording of her in existence, audio of a 19-year-old Mitchell playing “House Of The Rising Sun” at the CFQC AM radio station in her hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Listen and check out the first volume’s full tracklist below.

JONI MITCHELL ARCHIVES VOL. 1: THE EARLY YEARS (1963 TO 1967) TRACKLIST:

Disc One

Radio Station CFQC AM, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (ca. 1963)

01 “House Of The Rising Sun”
02 “John Hardy”
03 “Dark As A Dungeon”
04 “Tell Old Bill”
05 “Nancy Whiskey”
06 “Anathea”
07 “Copper Kettle”
08 “Fare Thee Well (Dink’s Song)”
09 “Molly Malone”

Live at the Half Beat: Yorkville, Toronto, Canada (October 21, 1964)

First Set

10 Introduction
11 “Nancy Whiskey”
12 Intro to “The Crow On The Cradle”
13 “The Crow On The Cradle”
14 “Pastures Of Plenty”
15 “Every Night When The Sun Goes In”
16 Intro to “Sail Away”
17 “Sail Away”

Second Set

18 “John Hardy”
19 “Dark As A Dungeon”
20 Intro to “Maids When You’re Young Never Wed An Old Man”
21 “Maids When You’re Young Never Wed An Old Man”
22 “The Dowie Dens Of Yarrow”
23 “Deportee (Plane Crash At Los Gatos)”
24 Joni’s Parents’ House: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (February 1965)
25 “The Long Black Rifle”
26 “Ten Thousand Miles”
27 “Seven Daffodils”

Disc Two

Myrtle Anderson Birthday Tape: Detroit, MI (1965)

01 “Urge For Going”
02 “Born To Take The Highway”
03 “Here Today And Gone Tomorrow”

Jac Holzman Demo: Detroit, MI (August 24, 1965)

04 “What Will You Give Me”
05 “Let It Be Me”
06 “The Student Song”
07 “Day After Day”
08 “Like The Lonely Swallow”

Let’s Sing Out, CBC TV: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada (October 4, 1965)

09 “Favorite Colour”
10 “Me And My Uncle”

Home Demo: Detroit, MI (ca. 1966)

11 “Sad Winds Blowin’”

Let’s Sing Out, CBC TV: Laurentian University, London, ON, Canada (October 24, 1966)

12 “Just Like Me”
13 “Night In The City”

Live at the 2nd Fret: Philadelphia, PA (November 1966)

14 “Brandy Eyes”
15 Intro to “Urge For Going”
16 “Urge For Going”
17 Intro to “What’s The Story Mr. Blue”
18 “What’s The Story Mr. Blue”
19 “Eastern Rain”
20 Intro to “The Circle Game”
21 “The Circle Game”
22 Intro to “Night In The City”
23 “Night In The City”
 
Disc Three

Folklore, WHAT FM: Philadelphia, PA, (March 12, 1967)

01 Intro to “Both Sides Now”
02 “Both Sides Now”
03 Intro to “The Circle Game”
04 “The Circle Game”

Live at the 2nd Fret: Philadelphia, PA (March 17, 1967)

Second Set

05 “Morning Morgantown”
06 “Born To Take The Highway”
07 Intro to “Song To A Seagull”
08 “Song To A Seagull”

Third Set

09 “Winter Lady”
10 Intro to “Both Sides Now”
11 “Both Sides Now”

Folklore, WHAT FM: Philadelphia, PA (March 19, 1967)

12 Intro to “Eastern Rain”
13 “Eastern Rain”
14 Intro to “Blue On Blue”
15 “Blue On Blue”

“A Record Of My Changes” – Michael’s Birthday Tape: North Carolina (May 1967)

16 “Gemini Twin”
17 “Strawflower Me”
18 “A Melody In Your Name”
19 “Tin Angel”
20 “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”
21 Joni improvising

Folklore, WHAT FM: Philadelphia, PA (May 28, 1967)

22 Intro to “Sugar Mountain”
23 “Sugar Mountain”
 
Disc Four

Home Demo: New York City, NY (ca. June 1967)

01 “I Had A King”
02 “Free Darling”
03 “Conversation”
04 “Morning Morgantown”
05 “Dr. Junk”
06 “Gift Of The Magi”
07 “Chelsea Morning”
08 “Michael From Mountains”
09 “Cara’s Castle”
10 “Jeremy” (Incomplete)

Live at Canterbury House: Ann Arbor, MI (October 27, 1967)

First Set

11 “Conversation”
12 Intro to “Come To The Sunshine”
13 “Come To The Sunshine”
14 Intro to “Chelsea Morning”
15 “Chelsea Morning”
16 Intro to “Gift Of The Magi”
17 “Gift Of The Magi”
18 “Play Little David”
19 Intro to “The Dowie Dens Of Yarrow”
20 “The Dowie Dens Of Yarrow”
21 “I Had A King”
22 Intro to “Free Darling”
23 “Free Darling”
24 Intro to “Cactus Tree”
25 “Cactus Tree”
 
Disc Five

Live at Canterbury House: Ann Arbor, MI (October 27, 1967)

Second Set

01 “Little Green”
02 Intro to “Marcie”
03 “Marcie”
04 Intro to “Ballerina Valerie”
05 “Ballerina Valerie”
06 “The Circle Game”
07 Intro to “Michael From Mountains”
08 “Michael From Mountains”
09 “Go Tell The Drummer Man”
10 Intro to “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”
11 “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”

Third Set

12 “A Melody In Your Name”
13 Intro to “Carnival In Kenora”
14 “Carnival In Kenora”
15 “Songs To Aging Children Come”
16 Intro to “Dr. Junk”
17 “Dr. Junk”
18 “Morning Morgantown”
19 Intro to “Night In The City”
20 “Night In The City”
21 “Both Sides Now”
22 “Urge For Going”

EARLY JONI – 1963 LP TRACKLIST:

Side One

01 “House Of The Rising Sun”
02 “John Hardy”
03 “Dark As A Dungeon”
04 “Tell Old Bill”
05 “Nancy Whiskey”

Side Two

01 “Anathea”
02 “Copper Kettle”
03 “Fare Thee Well (Dink’s Song)”
04 “Molly Malone”

LIVE AT CANTERBURY HOUSE – 1967 3LP TRACKLIST:

Side One: First Set

01 “Conversation”
02 Intro to “Come To The Sunshine”
03 “Come To The Sunshine”
04 Intro to “Chelsea Morning”
05 “Chelsea Morning”
06 Intro to “Gift Of The Magi”
07 “Gift Of The Magi”

Side Two

01 “Play Little David”
02 Intro to “The Dowy Dens Of Yarrow”
03 “The Dowy Dens Of Yarrow”
04 “I Had A King”
05 Intro to “Free Darling”
06 “Free Darling”
07 Intro to “Cactus Tree”
08 “Cactus Tree”

Side Three: Second Set

01 “Little Green”
02 Intro to “Marcie”
03 “Marcie”
04 Intro to “Ballerina Valerie”
05 “Ballerina Valerie”
06 “The Circle Game”

Side Four

01 Intro to “Michael From Mountains”
02 “Michael From Mountains”
03 “Go Tell The Drummer Man”
04 Intro to “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”
05 “I Don’t Know Where I Stand”

Side Five: Third Set

01 “A Melody In Your Name”
02 Intro to “Carnival In Kenora”
03 “Carnival In Kenora”
04 “Songs To Aging Children Come”
05 Intro to “Dr. Junk”
06 “Dr. Junk”

Side Six

01 “Morning Morgantown”
02 Intro to “Night In The City”
03 “Night In The City”
04 “Both Sides Now”
05 “Urge For Going”